UPDATE - Official CTC LEJoG Tours in July and Sept

[robgul]

There are a number of packages available ... see "Links/Holiday Packages" at my Cycle : End-to-End website (this is the direct link http://www.cycle-endtoend.org.uk/index. ... Itemid=216 )

Prices vary, obviously, subject to duration, accommodation type, level of support etc .... prices seem to be from just under £1,000 to about £1,800.

... I've ridden both JOGLE in 2005 and LEJOG in 2010 (train both ends, B&B accommodation, unsupported) but have to confess I don't know what either trip cost ... I'm planning to do "the double" (home - JOG - LE - home) in, probably 2014, and will keep a record of the cost.

Rob

[Mick F]

Yeah, I sort of agree but I was horrified at the cost - especially so when you think you can get a week in a luxury hotel on beach in the Caribbean for that money.

19nights B+B LEJOG at £30 a night is £570 (discount for block bookings)
Food through the days at £5 or so each is £100
Support van fuel 1,000miles is perhaps £250 shared between the 15 riders is £20 each
Perhaps another van for another £20 each

Total cost £710 each
...... or am I being cynical?

Before anyone says anything, yes I know there is profit to be made to pay the wages of the support team.

[The Mechanic]

Not cynical Mick but unrealistic. You also need to consider the cost of the van over the useful life of it, insurance, probable double the mileage as the van needs to get to and from its base. Wages for the support crew and time spent planning and booking. I also think £30 per person per night is a bit out of date for a B&B, unless you are looking at Heartbreak Hotel type B&Bs in dodgy locales. On my LEJOG, all food apart from evening meals were provided, including en route fodder. Transport was also provided from Penzance to LE (van) and from JOG to Inverness (Coach for 25 riders). Full technical support including spare bikes in case of disaster were also provided.

All in all, considering I am not retired and don't have time to cut the grass never mind plan a 14 day tour, I consider it VFM.

[Mick F]

All in all, considering I am not retired and don't have time to cut the grass never mind plan a 14 day tour, I consider it VFM.

I think that has summed it up why the cost is so high.

I still think that if you have £1,695 to spend, you would be better taking you and your other half on a cruise round the Med for a week or two. We spent less than a grand including flights.

[Si]

Horses for courses ain't it. I'd consider 2 weeks on a cruise ship to be extremely rubbish VFM even if it were free.

As the saying goes, the real value of something is what people are prepared to pay for it.

But having thunk about it, I don't see your £30 accommodation estimate too far off....what does a normal three star charge...something like £80-£100 per night? Thus two people sharing a room would work out at £40-£50 each per night...if you can add into that a bit of group discount you are not far off. On the other hand, your £5 for food is well off the mark - a dinner to match the level of accommodation is going to be three courses at a reasonable establishment so I'd guess at somewhere more around £20 per head.

[Mick F]

Can you cycle all day with three square meals?
Personally, I can't.

For me:
Good breakfast - included in the B+B charge.
Snacks through the day that I would carry with me. Cost minimal.
Beer and a pub meal at the end of the day.
Bed by 9pm.

Beer is optional of course, but £5.95 will get you well-filled in the evening - especially with group discount, and especially if you are doing this ride for charity and booking ahead?

You can spend what you want, and you can go on a cruise if you want. Boring or otherwise, you spend what you want to spend depending on your fancy. I used the cruise analogy to illustrate what you could spend.

If you fancy cycling and have a busy life, you can spend as much as you need to fulfil your requirements.
£1,695 is too high for me to even consider it!

[brother nathaneil]

Mick F, this isn't aimed at you, me or indeed most of the posters on here. Most of us enjoy the planning, the booking, finding the value for money. However, how many visitors to this site just come for advice and never post? The "I want to do it but don't know where to start" types are exactly the sort of person this is aimed at. New cyclists with new bikes, a new found enjoyment in cycling, and new goals in life.

I think if you have the money, and want to do something iconic, pay and go. Any cycling should be encouraged.

[robgul]

Mick F, this isn't aimed at you, me or indeed most of the posters on here. Most of us enjoy the planning, the booking, finding the value for money. However, how many visitors to this site just come for advice and never post? The "I want to do it but don't know where to start" types are exactly the sort of person this is aimed at. New cyclists with new bikes, a new found enjoyment in cycling, and new goals in life.

I think if you have the money, and want to do something iconic, pay and go. Any cycling should be encouraged.

Absolutely! - Mick does like to give the bone a good gnawing from time to time

Rob

[Mick F]

Who?
Me?

[uppadine]

Accommodation for over two weeks which mostly includes evening meals, the support and guidance of a full-time guide, your luggage transported, transport from JOG to Edinburgh, and a fantastic route - this is definitely value for money. I did it in September 2011 and while of course a 16 or 17 day tour has to be expensive, it isn't a rip-off. It was the best holiday I ever had, and I'd do it again if I could.
Simon

[Swallow]

I think it's fine if people are happy to spend the best part of £2000 on a trip like this but I couldn't do it if it was going to cost me that much. I agree with some of the others, the planning, the logistics, how are we going to get there, how are we going to get the bikes there are all part of the trip, but each to his own. At the end of the day you still have to turn those pedals for a 1000 miles

[The Mechanic]

Mick F, this isn't aimed at you, me or indeed most of the posters on here. Most of us enjoy the planning, the booking, finding the value for money. However, how many visitors to this site just come for advice and never post? The "I want to do it but don't know where to start" types are exactly the sort of person this is aimed at. New cyclists with new bikes, a new found enjoyment in cycling, and new goals in life.

I think if you have the money, and want to do something iconic, pay and go. Any cycling should be encouraged.

Er... Excuse me! I am not a new cyclist with a new bike, nor am I the sort of person who doesn't know where to start. I have been racing and touring since I was 13 and am now in my late fifties. I just don't have the time for all the planning and booking etc. Therefore, it is value for money for me.

[trecelyn]

Yeah, I sort of agree but I was horrified at the cost - especially so when you think you can get a week in a luxury hotel on beach in the Caribbean for that money.

19nights B+B LEJOG at £30 a night is £570 (discount for block bookings)
Food through the days at £5 or so each is £100
Support van fuel 1,000miles is perhaps £250 shared between the 15 riders is £20 each
Perhaps another van for another £20 each

Total cost £710 each
...... or am I being cynical?

Before anyone says anything, yes I know there is profit to be made to pay the wages of the support team.

With that daily food budget I think I'll go with CTC

Best

T

[meic]

I agree that £5/day on food in the UK is not my idea of a holiday.

However

We include most of the evening meals and all the breakfasts in the cost as we have found that tour members prefer this to arranging their own meals.

you may still find yourself hungry on the CTC tour.

[Mick F]

How much would you spend if you went DIY?

I didn't spend £750 even including the train fare.

I only snacked through the days with stuff I'd taken with me as the B+B breakfasts were enough, and I ate pub meals in the evening. Wetherspoons (in Wick) had huge meals for £3odd for instance.